Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 4; Horace Silver: Creepin' In

Listening without knowing who played--Oistrakh? Menuhin?

We listened on public radio to this performance to the very end, holding up our travel plans until completion, guessed that the violinist had to have Eastern European influence, figured it had to be Oistrakh or Menuhin or a student of the above, and then rushed to buy it. The glory of listening closely without prejudice is that the discovery of an exceedingly musical performance: appropriate liberties with tempo, dynamics, and complete technical mastery. I was reminded of a saying of a US cello teacher who had students in every major orchestra: start with a beautiful sound and then make sure that what you are playing, fast or slow, is music. I could not disagree with reviewer #1 more. This is one of the most beautiful realizations of this concerto that I have heard. August 30, 2008

Is Beethoven supposed to be this laid back?

Given his rebel image, I wouldn't dare accuse Nigel Kennedy of the middle-age blahs, but otherwise it's hard to fathom why his new recording of the Beethoven violin concerto is so laid back. In 1992 he trudged through the work under Klaus Tennstedt (a dreary performance that Kennedy claims to be still proud of, as the EMI promotional material is quick to tell us). Now he acts as both soloist and conductor of the Polish Chamber Orch., which he has led as artistic director since 2002.

A fresh, lean approach to this concerto would be welcome as long as one doesn't abandon the spirit of Beethoven, yet the pace here is moderate and the phrasing unadventurous. Is Kennedy bending over backward not to come off as a "personality" violinist? The orchestral part is basically unconducted -- the musicians read the notes and little more. The Kreisler cadenza is played very mildly (strange for a violinist who has expressed his admiration for Kreisler and recorded his once-famous morceaux de salon), and there's a quick ad lib cadenza inserted between the slow movement and the finale. The finale itself is genial but neutral.

The Mozart Concerto #4 starts out with more energy than the Beethoven, making me wonder if the two had changed places, but quickly Kennedy lapses into the same politeness and caution. To tell the truth, the best thing here is the jazzy encore, a la Stephane Grappelli, called "Creepin' In," where Kennedy's no-sweat attitude works nicely. But you can't buy a CD just for a 4 min. riff at the end. April 2, 2008

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